ACSC Department of Airpower

About the Department:

The Department of Airpower is comprised of a civilian-military faculty team which ensures that the ACSC curriculum meets professional military education objectives in emerging air, space, and cyberspace power topics. Each year, we educate and instruct approximately 500 resident students including select U.S. and international field grade officers as well as their civilian counterparts. Specifically, the department analyzes the development of airpower and the organizations, capabilities, and strategies inherent in its employment. By educating students on the effective application of airpower in past and present military operations, our graduates are capable of interpreting and forecasting the role that air, space, and cyber assets can play in future military operations. More than anything else, the Department of Airpower identifies the key lessons of Airpower heritage, and how they are useful to the modern Airpower leader in terms of theory, doctrine, strategy, and technology.

Department Leadership

Department Chair:

Dr. John Terino is the Chairman of the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). At ACSC, he teaches courses on Leadership and Warfare, Airpower, the Practice of Command, Joint Warfare Planning, Joint Air Planning, and an elective on the Air Force in Fact, Fiction, and Film. Prior to teaching at ACSC, he was a professor at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS). While at SAASS, he directed the school’s course on Technology and Military Innovation, courses on Airpower History, and the institution’s wargaming activities. He is currently researching a comprehensive history of the Joint Strike Fighter Program. Dr. Terino’s dissertation explores interactions of the military-industrial-academic complex in the early Cold War and Vietnam eras and the development of biological warfare under the purview of the USAF. Before coming to Air University, he taught for four years at the Air Force Academy in the Department of History. He retired from the Air Force in the grade of Lieutenant Colonel in 2008 after serving for almost 23 years. He received his Ph.D. in the History and Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2001. In his spare time, John enjoys officiating cross country and track and field, reading, and attending the cinema.

Research Interest/Expertise: Airpower, USAF History, History of Technology, Military History.

Deputy Chair:

Lt Col Anthony Figiera is a Senior Developmental Education student and Deputy Airpower Department Chair assigned to the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College Instructor Fellowship program. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Figiera was the Commander of the 633d Civil Engineer Squadron, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia where he provided overall construction, maintenance, repair and utilities support to five wings and Headquarters Air Combat Command while managing a physical plant in excess of $1.5 billion. He also served as the Commander of the 27th Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron where he was charged with executing the Department of Defense’s largest Military Construction program supporting the $1.29 billion Special Operations bed down transforming Cannon into a premier Special Operations training and power projection base. Lt Col Figiera entered active duty in June 1997 as a graduate of the ROTC program at Syracuse University. He has since held a number of squadron and staff civil engineer positions and deployed three times in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. Lt Col Figiera earned a Master’s Degree in Geotechnical Engineering in 2000 from Arizona State University and is a 2010 graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College. He is a Licensed Professional Civil Engineer in the State of Wyoming.

Lt Col Andrew Miscisin is an Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Prior to this assignment, he served operational tours at Little Rock AFB, AR, Elmendorf AFB, AK, RAF Mildenhall, UK, and Hurlburt Field, FL. Lt Col Miscisin is a command navigator with 3,900 flying hours in multiple C-130 variants, including 1100 combat/combat support hours while deploying numerous times in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. A 2014 graduate of ACSC, he has also completed a Master of Arts degree in Education Administration, graduating summa cum laude from Touro University International, and has since completed Air War College while serving on staff as the Defense Threat Reduction Agency liaison to US Africa Command.

Research Interest/Expertise: Cold War, History of the Vietnam War, U.S. Military History, Aviation History.

Airpower I Course Director:

Dr. Trevor Albertson is an Assistant Professor at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), and the Course Director for the Airpower I course. Dr. Albertson has taught at other institutions, including the United States Air Force Academy. He earned a PhD from the University of California, Merced, with a major field of 20th Century United States Political-Diplomatic history, a Masters in International Affairs from the Catholic University of America, and graduated cum laude from Norwich University. In addition to his teaching experience, Dr. Albertson has published in multiple scholarly periodicals, and he is completing a book on Curtis E. LeMay and the SAC commander’s advocacy for justified nuclear preemption. In his professional life he has served as a congressional staffer, a Deputy Secretary of a cabinet department of California state government, and as a civilian with the Department of Defense. Dr. Albertson is a veteran of the United States Air Force and a current reserve officer.

Research Interest/Expertise: Airpower strategy, Airpower History, Political-Diplomatic History, Preemptive Attack/Preventive War and history of key military leaders.

Airpower I Deputy Course Director:

Dr. Jordan R. Hayworth is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies at Air University's Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He teaches the Airpower I and Airpower II courses for the Department of Airpower. Hayworth received his B.A. in History from High Point University in the Piedmont-Triad region of North Carolina. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in European History from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, where he studied under Dr. Michael V. Leggiere as a Student Fellow of the Military History Center. Dr. Hayworth's article, "Evolution or Revolution on the Battlefield? The Sambre and Meuse Army in 1794," was published by War in History in 2014. He recently authored a book chapter on the French Way of War for an edited volume on Napoleon and the Operational Art of War published by Brill. His doctoral dissertation won the 2016 Edward M. Coffman First Manuscript Prize through the Society for Military History and will be published by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Press.

Research Interest/Expertise: Early Modern and Modern Military History, Political and Diplomatic History, French History.

Airpower II Course Director:

Dr. Heather Venable is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College and the Airpower II Course Director. She teaches Airpower One and Airpower Two and has co-taught an elective on Close Air Support. She previously was an Instructor for the Air Command and Staff College’s eSchool of Graduate Professional Military Education where she oversaw the writing of proposals and master’s theses and taught Applied Warfare Studies courses at the Joint Professional Military Education I level. As a visiting professor at the US Naval Academy, she taught naval and Marine Corps history. She graduated with a B.A. in History from Texas A&M University and a M.A. in American History from the University of Hawai’i. She received her PhD in military history from Duke University. She also has attended the Space Operations Course as well as the Joint Firepower Course. Her primary research interest is the culture of military institutions. Her manuscript entitled ““‘It Means Something These Days to be a Marine’: How Just Another Soldier Became a Marine, 1861-1918” is currently under review for publication. Previous work to be published includes “‘There’s Nothing that a Marine Can’t Do’: Publicity and the Marine Corps, 1905-1917” in New Interpretations in Naval History: Selected Papers from the Sixteenth Naval History Symposium and “The China Marines and the Crucible of the Warrior Mythos, 1900-1941” in Crucibles: Selected Readings in U.S. Marine Corps History.

Research Interest/Expertise: Military Culture and Organization, Combat Motivation and Experience, U.S. Marine Corps, Airpower, Close Air Support.

Airpower II Course Deputy Course Director:

Dr. Jared R. Donnelly is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He currently serves as the Airpower II Deputy Course Director. Dr. Donnelly received his PhD in European History from Texas A&M University and was previously on the faculty of the International Affairs Department at the George H.W. Bush School of Government and Public Service. Dr. Donnelly's research focuses on war and social change in Germany and Europe with a specific interest in the period since 1945. In addition to teaching courses in the ACSC core curriculum, he offers elective classes on the rise and fall of Nazi Germany and German military history.

Research Interest/Expertise: Modern Europe, Modern Germany, European War and Society, Nazi Germany.

Department Faculty

Dr. Everett Carl Dolman is Professor of Comparative Military Studies at the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). His focus is on international relations and theory, and he has been identified as Air University’s first space theorist. Dr. Dolman began his career as an intelligence analyst for the National Security Agency, and moved to the United States Space Command in 1986. In 1991, he received the Director of Central Intelligence’s Outstanding Intelligence Analyst award. Dr. Dolman received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995. He then taught international relations and international political economy at The College of William & Mary, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, and Berry College before taking his current position at Maxwell AFB in Alabama. Dr. Dolman received the Air Force’s Educator of the Year Award for 2003/04. His published works include Astropolitik: Classical Geopolitics in the Space Age (2002); The Warrior State: How Military Organization Structures Politics (2004), Pure Strategy: Power and Principle in the Information Age (2005), and Can Science End War? (2015). He has written numerous book chapters as well as articles for the Journal of Strategic Studies, Comparative Strategy, Journal of Small Wars and Insurgencies, Soviet and Post-Soviet Review, Citizenship Studies, Politics and Society, Journal of Political and Military Sociology, and The Air and Space Power Review. Dr. Dolman is also co-founder and editor emeritus of Astropolitics: The International Journal of Space Power and Policy.

Research Interest/Expertise: Military Strategy, Space and Cyber Power, Civil-Military Relations, Intelligence, Military Theory and Philosophy

Dr. S. Mike Pavelec returned to ACSC Department of Airpower after three years at the Joint Advanced Warfighting School in Norfolk, VA. Prior to that Dr. Pavelec taught at the Naval War College, Air Command and Staff College, and the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS). He received his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 2004 and teaches graduate-level courses in military and diplomatic history, international relations, and security studies. He has three books in print and three under contract. He is currently writing a survey of American military history, due to be published this year. His follow-on project is on airpower in World War One, with a focus on the Gallipoli campaign. His passion is motorcycles.

Research Interest/Expertise: Airpower, Space, Cyber, Technology, Theory, Strategy, and the Philosophy of War

Michael E. Weaver, Ph.D. is an associate professor of history who specializes in the history of war and warfare. He is the author of Guard Wars: The 28th Infantry Division in World War II (Indiana University Press, 2010), as well as five articles. His most recent are “The Relationship between Diplomacy and Military Force: An Example from the Cuban Missile Crisis” in Diplomatic History (2014) and “Missed Opportunities before Top Gun and Red Flag” in Air Power History (2013). Earlier articles address the Air National Guard in the Berlin Crisis, economic intelligence, and the social composition of the Pennsylvania National Guard. Weaver is now completing a second book, National Policy and Air Power Effectiveness during the Vietnam War. Weaver’s skills include leading small group discussions, academic lecturing, research, and writing. His book reviews have appeared in The Journal of Military History, and H-War, among others. Prof. Weaver has taught courses on U.S. history, war & society, American military history, the Vietnam War, World War II, African-American history, international security, and air power. He received his doctorate from Temple University in 2002 having worked with Russell Weigley and Richard Immerman. Weaver also studied under William Leary, John Morrow, Jr., and Eugene Genovese at the University of Georgia. Read Full CV here.

Research Interest/Expertise: Cold War, history of the Vietnam War, U.S. military history, aviation history, World War II, force & diplomacy, history of the United States.

Dr. Sebastian H. Lukasik is Assistant Professor of Comparative Military Studies in the Department of Airpower at Air Command Staff College. He received a Ph.D. in American history from Duke University. He has served as Course Director for the Leadership and Warfare course and the Airpower I course. Prior to arriving at ACSC, he taught as a visiting instructor at Duke University and North Carolina State University. In addition to teaching courses in the ACSC core curriculum, he offers elective classes on Combat Motivation and Morale in Historical Perspective, Cultural History of Flight, and war and society in the era of the World Wars.

Research interests/expertise: Military culture; combat motivation and morale in modern warfare; the First World War; cultural history of flight; grand strategy and strategic culture.

Mr. Allen G. Peck is an assistant professor and faculty advisor in Air Command & Staff College (ACSC)’s Department of Airpower, where he serves as an instructor in the Genesis of Airpower and Modern Airpower core curriculum courses. He also serves as faculty research advisor for an ACSC seminar. Peck co-teaches a joint Air War College/ Air Command & Staff College joint elective, the Airpower Vistas Research Task Force. Prior to assuming the ACSC faculty position, Peck served as director of the Air Force Research Institute at Maxwell AFB. Prior to these positions, he served for 36 years on active duty in the USAF. He was qualified as an instructor and evaluator in the F-15, and completed two assignments on the Air Staff and a joint assignment at US Central Command. He commanded an air operations group in Germany, an air expeditionary wing in Saudi Arabia, and the Air and Space Expeditionary Force Center at Langley AFB. He was a key planner for NATO’s Kosovo operation, and later served as Deputy Combined Force Air Component Commander at Al Udeid Airbase, Qatar. Peck holds a BS in Mathematics from the US Air Force Academy, an MS in Operations Research from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and an MA from Salve Regina College in International Relations.

Research Interests/Expertise: Air Superiority and Command & Control of Airpower

Dr. Edwin Redman, Colonel, USAF, Retired, is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Dr. Redman is a Command Pilot with tours in each of the Air Force’s bomber aircraft. He served as an instructor pilot in the T-38, B-1 and B-2, and flew combat missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 in the B-2. He is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy, ACSC, and the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. Following SAASS, Dr. Redman attended Duke University, where he received his PhD in History. His last operational assignment was Deputy Commander, 509th Operations Group, Whiteman Air Force Base. He completed his active-duty service at Air University, holding several positions, including Director of Warfighting Education at the LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education, and Director of the Grand Strategy Seminar, Air War College. He retired from the active-duty Air Force in 2014, and joined Air University as a civilian professor in 2015.

Research Interest/Expertise: Cold War history, nuclear deterrence, civil-military relations, and US national security.

Dr. Michael L. Grumelli, Colonel, USAF (Retired), is an Associate Professor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College. He is the son of a thirty-year Army non-commissioned officer, earning his Ph.D. in military history from Rutgers University in 1991. Since earning his doctorate, he has been assigned to the faculty of the United States Air Force Academy, as the Deputy Director of Military History, and as an instructor with the Air War College’s Department of Strategy, Doctrine, and Airpower in addition to teaching with the School of Advance Air and Space Studies.

Research Interest/Expertise: Intellectual Foundation for Airmindedness in regards to the unique requirements of Global Engagement in the 21st Century.

Lt Col Paul “Abbie” Hoffman is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College. He entered the Air Force in 1995 from the United States Air Force Academy, where he studied history. As an intelligence officer, he held various positions at the squadron, wing, and NAF levels, with an emphasis on unit-level operations, ISR management, and support to the test and evaluation communities. He deployed to Iraq in 2004 and 2006, and deployed to Kandahar Air Field in 2009 as an air advisor to the Afghan National Army Air Corps. An ACSC distinguished graduate, he joined the faculty in 2008. He is completing his doctoral dissertation in Political Science (IR and comparative politics) from Indiana University and hopes to become a fully credentialed and productive member of academic society in late 2018.

Lt Col Richard “Rick” Rachal is an Instructor of Airpower at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He enlisted in 1985 as an Air Intelligence Specialist, flying on the AC-130H gunship at Hurlburt Field, Florida. Selected for the Airman Scholarship and Commissioning Program, he received his commission as an AFROTC DG and attended navigator training at Mather AFB, CA. Selected to fly the C-130 Hercules, he served operational tours at Dyess AFB, TX, Yokota AB, Japan and Little Rock AFB, AR, as an instructor and evaluator. He also served on the headquarters staffs of AMC at Scott AFB, IL (as the Command Evaluator Navigator) and of 16th AF/3rd AF at Ramstein AB, Germany (as the Deputy Director for Plans and Programs). A Command Navigator/Combat Systems Officer, he has more than 3,000 flying hours in the T-37, T-43, C-130 (E,H,H1,H2, and H3 variants), LC-130, and AC-130H including 150 combat/combat support, 800 instructor and 200 evaluator hours. A 3 time graduated squadron commander, he commanded the Space Shuttle Takeoff Abort Landing site at Zaragosa, Spain (789th AES), the base support for RAF Menwith Hill, United Kingdom (421st ABS) and the Remote Piloted Aircraft operation at Arba Minch, Ethiopia (409th AEG, Det 1). He is a graduate of the ACSC AY06 class.

Research Interest/Expertise: Military history (Roman, crusades, American); RPA, CIMIC and Air Mobility operations; Leadership/Command.

LTC(P) Thomas G. Wilson, Jr, is an Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College. He was commissioned in 1996 as a Field Artillery Officer in the Army from The Citadel, where he studied Physical Education. He has served in a multitude of leadership positions from Platoon Leader to Battalion Commander. He has deployed to Iraq three times. He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) and the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS). LTC Wilson earned a Master's Degree from Kansas State University and a MMAS from CGSC. He joined the faculty in 2017.

Lt Col Hugh Gardenier is an Instructor of Airpower at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He is an Acquisition officer and a 2016 graduate of ACSC. He has worked extensively in the areas of military research and development, space technology development and space acquisition. He has served in numerous leadership positions throughout Air Force Life Cycle Management Center including Detachment Commander, Section Chief and Program Manager. Maj Gardenier received his B.S. in Engineering Mechanics from the United States Air Force Academy. He earned his M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and his M.B.A with a concentration in Project Management from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

Research Interest/Expertise: Military Research and Development, Space Technology Development and Space Acquisition

LCDR Ben Smith is an instructor of Airpower Studies at Air University's Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). LCDR Smith has served aboard both aircraft carriers (USS Enterprise) and Aegis ships (USS San Jacinto and USS Curtis Wilbur) and is qualified carrier Officer of the Deck (OOD), Anti-Air Warfare Coordinator (AAWC), Aegis Tactical Action Officer (TAO), and Ballistic Missile Defense Watch Officer (BMDWO). He has served as an instructor at Naval Nuclear Power School and Nuclear Prototype Training Unit.

Research Interest/Expertise: Influence of religion on societies and politics, multi-disciplinary analysis.

Lt Col Nicholas J. Helms is an Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy with a BS in Human Factors Engineering, and a distinguished graduate of the USAF Test Pilot School with over 2,000 hours in multiple aircraft, including the F-16, MQ-9, T-38C, and C-12J. Prior to Blue Horizons, he served as the Command Chief Pilot for MQ-9 test with Big Safari and the Medium Altitude UAS Division as well as the Director of Operations for the 586­th Flight Test Squadron advancing weapons and avionics capabilities at the White Sands Missile Range. He has flown missions in support of Operations Noble Eagle, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom.

Major Jonathan L. “JAZZ” Stinson is an Instructor of Airpower at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), and Deputy Course Director for the “Gathering of Eagles” elective. Maj Stinson is a recent graduate of ACSC In-Residence and a Reserve member recalled back to Active Duty to serve as an instructor. He is the former Mission Support Commander for the 913th Airlift Group (AFRC) at Little Rock AFB, AR, and has served on various Joint operations in Washington, D.C. and with the Texas Air National Guard as an Liaison (LNO), and Director of A1 and A3. He has also served as the Air Force Liaison to the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee for the 2009 Inauguration of President Barak Obama, where he was responsible for the planning, deployment and selection of Total Force members to support operations and event execution. Maj Stinson has also served in various lead capacities at the MAJCOM, Direct Reporting Unit and Joint Operations level.

Major Donald A. Seablom is an Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College. A Cyber Operations Officer, he has worked at the squadron and group level with extensive time in the Special Tactics environment, working as a mission support flight commander, Special Tactics Group Director of Communications and Logistics, and squadron commander. He has deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq as a communicator, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan as an executive officer, and Camp Lemmonier, Djibouti as a Joint Task Force J6. Prior to his tenure at Air Command and Staff College, he was the Commander at the 724th Special Tactics Support Squadron, Fort Bragg, NC. He attended Air Command and Staff College and graduated in 2016. Additionally, he received an online masters in IT Management.

Research Interest/Expertise: Airpower history with a smattering of Leadership, as well as the role of Mission Support enabling combat operations.

Major Thomas Brockmann is an Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He is a Nurse Corps officer and a 2017 graduate of ACSC. Maj Brockmann enlisted in 1989 as a Medical Services Technician, serving in Emergency and Intensive Care units before completing initial aeromedical evacuation training in 1996 at the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks AFB, TX. He received his commission in 2001 as a Flight Nurse and has operational experience on the C-141B, C-130E/H, and KC-135 airframes. Maj Brockmann has led during several in-hospital assignments and has served in the Surgeon’s Staff at the NAF and COCOM levels, coordinating aeromedical support throughout the EUCOM and AFRICOM theaters. He has also deployed to the CENTCOM CAOC in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, providing operational expertise while coordinating hundreds of aeromedical missions, resulting in the safe movement of over 2,000 ill and battle-injured patients. Maj Brockmann received his Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing Science from William Care University, is a licensed Registered Nurse in the State of Mississippi, and has been nationally board-certified in Ambulatory Care since 2008.

Maj Christopher Jefferson is an Air University Fellow and Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College. Prior to his current assignment, he was the Operations Officer for the National Reconnaissance Office - Cape Canaveral AFS, Florida, where he led NRO satellite vehicle processing, integration, launch operations, and launch base infrastructure readiness. Maj Jefferson has a background in space operations, acquisitions / program management, and engineering. Maj Jefferson is originally from Washington DC. He was commissioned through the United States Air Force Academy and has advanced degrees from Wright State University (MBA), University of Wisconsin (Engineering), National Intelligence University (Intelligence Studies), and Air University / Air Command and Staff College (Military Operational Art and Science).

Major Jennifer Pruitt is an Air University Fellow and Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College. Maj Pruitt is a Senior Pilot having been an Instructor on both the HC-130P and HC-130J Combat Search and Rescue aircraft. She has participated in numerous inspections and exercises and has held a variety of Squadron, Group and Wing-level offices in Mobility and Rescue Wings. Maj Pruitt has deployed in support of operations throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East. She holds a BS in History from the United States Air Force Academy and a MA from the University of Oklahoma in International Relations.

Research Interest/Expertise: Airpower, AF Combat Rescue History, Military History

Maj Brandon Strickland is an Air University Fellow and Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College. Prior to his current assignment, he was the Operations Officer of the 354th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Eielson AFB, Alaska where he directed materiel management, fuels systems, distribution support, as well as vehicle management for the 354th Fighter Wing, 168th Air Refueling Wing, and tenant units. Maj Strickland is a Logistics Readiness Officer with experience in Materiel Management as well as Deployment and Distribution fields. He deployed as the Officer in Charge of the Afghan National Security Forces National Depots as part of the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Maj Strickland is originally from Chesapeake, VA., and was commissioned through the ROTC program at Virginia Military Institute.Research Interest/Expertise: Airpower, Logistics, and Cyber Technology and Leadership

Major Justin M. Tubiolo is an Air University Fellow and Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College. Maj Tubiolo is a Senior Pilot having been an evaluator on both the C-130 and KC-135 aircraft. He has participated in numerous inspections and exercises and has held a variety of Squadron and Group-level offices at Air Refueling and Airlift Wings. Maj Tubiolo has deployed in support of operations throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East and served a three year tour with the RAF as an exchange officer. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology and a MS from American Military University in Environmental Policy and Management.

Research Interest/Expertise: Air mobility Operations and Artificial Intelligence.

Major Andrew P. Webster is an Air University Fellow and Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Maj Webster graduated from the ACSC In-Residence program in June 2017. Prior to ACSC, Maj Webster was a C-17 Instructor Pilot and the Chief of Wing Training at Joint Base Charleston, SC. He also served as a C-17 pilot at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, AK and as a B-52 Radar Navigator at Barksdale AFB, LA where he deployed to Anderson AFB, Guam in support of the Continuous Bomber Presence. Maj Webster was a 2014 Airlift/Tanker Association Young Leader Award winner and was a Distinguished Graduate from Undergraduate Pilot Training and C-17 Pilot Initial Qualification training. He graduated with a BS in Aviation Human Factors with high honors from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and also received an MS in Aeronautical Science with distinction from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Research Interest/Expertise: Airpower History, Air Mobility Operations, Strategic Air Command, History of the Vietnam War, U.S. military history.

ACSC Student Support & Research Guides

Engage

"On Thursday, the parliament of the semi-autonomous and largely pro-Moscow region of Crimea voted to break away from Ukraine and join Russia, and set a date for a referendum on the subject for March 16."

"In less than four years, Beijing has amassed a controlling interest in Israel’s agrochemical industry with a $2.4 billion investment by China National Chemical Corp., and access to Israeli nanotechnology through a joint research center to be operated by Tsinghua and Tel Aviv universities."
"With state financing, surging investment and the support of the Israeli government, Chinese public institutions and private investors are acquiring control of key industries and gaining unprecedented access to Israeli technology, innovation and know-how."

"Five years ago, Syria was the world&#39;s second-largest refugee-hosting country," Guterres said. "Syrians are now about to replace Afghans as the biggest refugee population worldwide."
That&#39;s saying something, since Afghanistan has been in conflict for more than four decades. Guterres says if current trends continue, there could be 4 million Syrian refugees by the end of this year.
"Neighboring countries have provided them safety since the beginning, at an enormous cost to themselves," he said. "Few refugee influxes have ever generated this profound an impact on their host countries, with such dramatic demographic, economic and social consequences."

"Ali al-Mousawi, the media adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in exclusive statements to Al-Monitor. “Our war on terrorism will fail if we do not get international support, through clear stances, against states supporting terrorism in the region. Terrorism hotbeds in the world should be dried up. This hasn’t happened so far,” he noted.
"Mousawi stated that Iraq had not held dialogues with the Syrian government to put in place a common plan to fight al-Qaeda and ISIS, although the battlefield will become, at some point, a common one against the same enemy. He claimed that the Syrian government does not have control of the regions on the border with Iraq, and thus such talks would be ineffective."

"Fighters linked to Al Qaeda and their allies seized the city of Falluja and parts of the Anbar provincial capital, Ramadi, in late December after the authorities dismantled a protest camp. Like the camp in the northern Iraqi town of Hawija whose dismantlement in April set off violent clashes and the current upsurge in killing, the Anbar camp was established by Sunnis angry at what they consider to be second-class treatment at the hands of the Shiite-led government."

"Kadyrov expressed concern that "nationalists of all descriptions" are systematically stripping ethnic Chechen citizens of Ukraine of their homes and businesses. He warned that "this is impermissible.... We shall not allow Chechens to be offended, wherever they happen to live."

"The Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized countries say they are suspending participation in the planning for an international summit in Russia. The White House issued a joint statement on March 2 on behalf of the G7 leaders, the president of the European Council, and the president of the European Commission. In the statement, the leaders condemned Russia’s "clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," adding that Moscow&#39;s actions violate the "principles and values" on which the G7 and G8 operate."
"The G7 includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States. The countries also participate in the G8, which includes Russia. The country&#39;s Black Sea port of Sochi is scheduled to host the G8 summit in June."

"The reported ultimatum came as world attention focused on the crisis in Crimea and acting Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk called the Russian troop movements and call to arms of Crimea’s predominantly ethnic Russian population “a declaration of war.”

"The deal was signed by the three main opposition leaders, including former boxing star Vitali Klitschko. However, it was almost immediately rejected by the extremist Right Sector party, which has been blamed for much of the civilian violence since protests began in November."
"We are inclined to consider Yanukovich’s statement as another whitewash," Right Sector said in a statement. "National revolution continues."
"Holding early presidential elections had been a key demand of the opposition."
"In these tragic days when Ukraine suffered such grave losses, when people on both sides of barricades have died, I consider it my obligation to the memory of the deceased to state that there is nothing more important then a human life," [Ukranian President] Yanukovych added.

"The strategy follows the release of a memorandum issued in 2010 by President Obama titled “Unleashing the Wireless Broadband Revolution,” which requires 500 MHz of spectrum be made available for commercial use by 2020 and one issued in June 2013 titled “Expanding America&#39;s Leadership in Wireless Innovation” which directed federal agencies and offices to accelerate efforts to allow and encourage shared access to spectrum allocated for federal use. "
"The president mandated that federal agencies free up a significant portion of wireless spectrum so that it can be used by individuals and businesses to spur domestic economic growth and help keep the U.S. on top of the technological hierarchy."
For further information about the DoD EMS Strategy, please visit http://www.defense.gov/news/dodspectrumstrategy.pdf

"Even if imperfect, the guidelines do serve a useful purpose. Their ultimate purpose was to ensure that fundamental questions about purpose, risk and costs were addressed up front. While their formulation was obviously flawed given the world we now know we live in, the intent behind their development was neither mendacious nor without merit. As Operation Iraqi Freedom shows, it is still possible for experienced leaders to come to very wrong policy decisions regarding the employment of force, which is ultimately a blunt tool. Rosy assumptions, unasked questions and unexplored options have marked the path to some 5,300 graves over the past decade."
"The decision to go to war is a very serious exercise. The virtue of some set of questions to assist policymakers in this most supreme judgment retains great value."
"Future crises and war plan debates should be more deliberate and discriminate. Rather than denounce the “use of force” considerations that should have constrained action without contemplation, I agree with Reading University’s Patrick Porter, who argues that we should celebrate such doctrines. Better yet, we should update them in light of what we think we have learned from a long war."
"With hindsight, the last two wars suggest that General Powell was not wrong in wanting a more deliberate approach to the Supreme Judgment. I can give you over 5,300 reasons why Powell’s series of questions have enduring value in some form. It’s fashionable to criticize his doctrine now, including by highly respected historians like Hew Strachan. But the last decade, at a cost of 5,300 killed and nearly 40,000 seriously wounded, requires me to rethink my book from a less academic perspective. Today’s warriors can take some solace in the fact that America’s performance in Iraq and Afghanistan was honorably conducted. They can also draw a measure of satisfaction that clear national interests were gained, and that both countries were given the opportunity to unshackle themselves from their dark histories. But they can also question the underlying wisdom of the nation’s policy and strategies. Certainly the cause was again noble, even if the calling was flawed or poorly conceived. Hopefully our policy and strategy community will learn something from this."

"President Barack Obama condemned the scenes and warned President Viktor Yanukovych to withdraw his forces from downtown Kiev immediately."
"We are outraged by the images of Ukrainian security forces firing automatic weapons on their own people," Obama said in a statement. "We urge the Ukrainian military not to get involved in a conflict that can and should be resolved by political means."
"The European Union&#39;s foreign ministers decided to impose sanctions against officials in Ukraine on Thursday, which included a travel ban to the 28-nation bloc and freezing of Ukrainian officials&#39; assets in EU countries. The list of officials targeted had not yet been established."
"Later Thursday, President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone about the Ukraine situation, the White House said. The two leaders agreed it was critical that the U.S., Germany, and the European Union stay in close communication in the days ahead to help the Ukrainian people."

"China’s announcement last November that it would establish an “air defense identification zone” (ADIZ) in the East China Sea was another test of the U.S.-Japan alliance and, more broadly, America’s appetite for sustaining its commitments to the region. Since 2010, Beijing has consistently resorted to forms of coercion to patiently challenge the United States and its allies. I believe strongly that the United States should neither recognize nor accept China’s unilateral declaration of an ADIZ and we should continue to conduct our military exercises and operations in the region so as to maintain the status quo."
"Of the many instances of growing Chinese assertiveness, recent incidents surrounding Japan’s southwestern islands are perhaps the most serious. Beijing has pursued its claims to Japan’s Senkaku Islands, with official newspapers even going so far as to assert that the entire Okinawa island chain is Chinese territory. More ominously, Chinese incursions into Japanese airspace and territorial waters have grown exponentially in recent years, raising the prospect of potential miscalculations. As the Senkakus are under Japan’s administrative control, unilateral attempts to change the status quo fall under the terms of Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan Mutual Security Treaty."

"Tunisia has been winning high praise from American and other Western officials for its progress in assembling a democratic system. At the end of last month, the country adopted a constitution that provides for a separation of power, protects minorities and assures women a place in government."
"But Tunisia’s pro-Western elements are locked in a political struggle with conservatives and Islamists. The country has seen killings and attacks on government buildings."
"The request for security help is likely to be weighed carefully by Washington, which wants to promote democracy in the country but doesn’t want to be perceived as arming one side in a political contest."

“[We] concluded that the PLA has been given the new task to be able to conduct a short sharp war to destroy Japanese forces in the East China Sea following with what can only be expected a seizure of the Senkakus or even a southern Ryukyu [islands] — as some of their academics say.”

"They&#39;re good warriors," said Marine Maj. Gen. Lee Miller , who was wrapping up his tour as commander of Regional Command Southwest. "Sustaining themselves they need a lot of work….and we need to be there to help them do that."
"They proved their battlefield prowess last September as the fighting season was drawing to a close."
"Still, commanders warn that Afghan security forces lack the critical but unglamorous capabilities — such as supply, logistics and finance — that are needed to sustain a large army in the field."
"Afghans lack that mobility. "They have been unable to deny freedom of movement to the insurgency in rural areas," Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, testified to Congress Tuesday."
"Another challenge facing Afghan security forces: The Taliban and other insurgent groups in Afghanistan have sanctuary in parts of Pakistan, putting them outside the reach of Afghan security forces."
"As long as that state support continues, the Afghan security forces are going to have their hands full regardless of how good they are," said Seth Jones, an analyst at the Rand Corp.
"Despite the battlefield successes, U.S. officers say Afghan forces will need logistical support for years to come. Without such help, the achievements over the past decade of war risk unraveling."

"He noted that just a few years ago, there was only one battalion of Marines in Helmand province, and just a small British base.
The Marine Corps began building its presence in southwest part of Afghanistan in 2008, eventually reaching a peak with about 21,000 Marines in Helmand in 2010. Now, there are some 4,500 Marines in the province."